Spring Cleaning to Manage Stress
We hear it every year: Time for spring cleaning!
Though spring cleaning started largely as part of religious traditions, we now hear it in religious and secular households alike each year.
In the 1800s, spring cleaning helped alleviate the oil, soot and debris that built up from kerosene lamps and fires throughout the winter. In Jewish customs, spring cleaning is used to prepare the home for Passover, which includes removing any leavened bread. In Catholic tradition, the church altar is cleaned on Holy Thursday, the first day of the Triduum. In Iran, the Persian New Year coincides with the start of spring.
Whatever the reason: spring cleaning can help manage your stress eating. Say what?!
A growing body of research suggests that clutter is linked to stress and depression. Clutter and procrastination are also closely connected. We tend to avoid the tedious efforts of spring cleaning which perpetuates the procrastination.
Numerous studies have demonstrated the connections between clutter and mental health, including:
- Researchers at Cornell and Syracuse Universities found that female participants in chaotic kitchen settings consumed more cookies than those in a more controlled environment.
- A 2009 study published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin found that wives with higher stressful home scores had more detrimental cortisol levels and depressive moods. When we are highly stressed and/or depressed, we gravitate to high fat, high sugar foods.
- A 2011 study published in the Journal of Neuroscience concluded that more visual stimuli (or clutter in this case) makes it harder to focus and process information. When we are distracted, we are less productive and less likely to follow through on our goals.
- Research published in 2013 found that participants in an orderly environment chose healthier snacks than those in disorderly rooms.
- In 2014, researchers found that hoarding severity is linked to increased body mass index and symptoms of binge eating.
- Researchers at Indiana University found that the interior condition of participants’ homes affected their level of physical activity.
- A 2016 study published in Journal of Environmental Psychology found that clutter had a negative impact on subjective well-being.
- A 2018 study published in Current Psychology concluded that clutter leads to a significant decrease in satisfaction with life among older adults. When we are less satisfied with our life, we tend to have more negative health behaviors.
And that’s just scratching the surface of how clutter impacts our mental health and therefore our emotional eating behaviors.
In an effort to support your spring cleaning this year (and admittedly, my own, too!), I’ve compiled this list of helpful products that can help you clean, organize, and declutter.
Products to Help with Spring Cleaning
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When’s the last time you deep cleaned that water bottle you’re constantly carrying around? What about the humidifier set up in your room? After taking microbiology and learning there were more germs on my water bottle than a toilet seat, I am now a FIRM believer in routinely cleaning my bottle. This brush is both sustainable and sturdy, so it won’t snap like those cheap plastic ones.
Growing up as a lower middle class family, we were taught not to waste paper towels. At the time, it was largely for budget reasons. But if you pay attention to any of the weather, you know that climate change is very real. Making more sustainable changes can start in the kitchen, with microfiber cleaning cloths like these.
20 Piece Drill Brush Attachments Set
Elbow grease is soooo 2020. Okay, maybe not, but for those hard to reach places or “when was the last time I cleaned this” items, these drill brushes can save so much time – leaving room for the things that truly matter, like getting outside and playing with your kids or fur babies!
The fewer things I need to buy at the store every time I go, the better. This microfiber mop lets you just throw the pads into the washing machine and reuse them. Fewer trips to the store means more money in my pocket and time on my side
Okay, so you might think this is a joke, but I’m not kidding! Now one of our dear friends, our cleaning lady, taught me the magic combination for almost anything: white vinegar + rubbing alcohol. I use it to get the scum off my glass shower door. I use it to remove scuffs from walls. I’ve even used it in place of Windex! Oh, by the way, I store this solution in a no frills spray bottle under my sink.
Okay, so here is one way I love to declutter: Ditching clunky, large appliances for all-in-one or multifunction ones. This Cuisinart toaster is equipped with a convection bake setting, convection broil, reheat, warming feature, defrost, high/low convection fan speed options and dual cook with a wide temperature range. Need I say more? Just in case I need to, I also love that it’s tall rather than wide so it takes up less counter space. If you’re wanting a shorter, wider option, check out the Ninja 8-in-1 Air Fryer instead.
GETTING ORGANIZED
Meal prep enticing but that tupperware cabinet just way too intimidating? Try out this lid organizer to help declutter the kitchen and get you excited to prep food ahead of time.
I don’t know about you, but when something is easy to see in my pantry, I’m more likely to want to eat it. Using these clear glass storage containers can help you and your family naturally gravitate toward healthier options – whether those are popcorn, whole grain pretzels, or lightly salted nuts.
I personally label mine using chalkboard tape and chalk markers, but reader, HC, uses a label maker.
If you had asked me why I recommended this last week, I would have said, “Because your eyes naturally gravitate toward it and it can help you eat more fruit!” But after this past week, when I stored our fruit basket under our new coffee cart, my actual reason now is, “So your dog doesn’t eat your nectarines thinking they’re tennis balls!”
I personally just bought this pantry organizing rack and LOVE how sturdy it is! It expanded our pantry storage and allowed us to stock up on even more healthy snacks. It’s also been a great place to store our reusable shopping bags. Speaking of which, you can find some super cute, washable mesh bags here!
This is a great place to keep grab and go snacks, so that your fridge is organized. Again, less clutter means healthier decisions!
Get rid of those falling apart cereal boxes that create nothing but stress and replace them with a chic display of nutritious cereals, including oatmeal, quinoa and amaranth!
Who wants to cook in a cluttered kitchen with a dirty floor? Not me. This broom and mop organizer can help you stay organized and free up the stress of the items constantly falling over in the closet and taking up space.
OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW.
Struggle to stay hydrated? Swap out your current glassware for cups that get you excited to drink water! If you want taller glasses with more color options, check out these Vibrant Splash Water glasses! You can also make less of a commitment by instead adding some reusable straws to your existing drinking glasses.
Have you heard of the 5 second rule created by Mel Robbins? Essentially, the minute you think of a goal (i.e., getting out of bed), you need to act on it within 5 seconds. This chic alarm clock can help you get EXCITED to get out of bed!
Plant Terrarium with Wooden Stand
I don’t know about you, but seeing greenery in my house brightens my mood tenfold, and when I’m feeling more positive, I’m less inclined to reach for that chocolate in my freezer. This cute planter can be used without soil so if you, like me, have a husky that loves digging your plants, you don’t need to worry about it! If you’re short on counter space or want to draw the eyes upward, check out this hanging planter instead.
It’s amazing how much fresh herbs can spice up a meal and give it that leg up that a canned spice just… well, can’t. This raised bed is my favorite because it has WHEELS! While I loved my last raised bed, I could never move it. And if you’re not a master gardener (aka you’re like me), then you don’t realize until after it’s full of a hundred pounds of soil that it isn’t in the ideal place for the plants to thrive.
RECOMMENDED BY OUR READERS
“Kris Jenner came out with a new brand of cleaning products called Safely and they aren’t super expensive and they smell amazing!! It makes me feel happy every time I use them lately”
Over the last couple of years, my husband and I have worked to get rid of plastic in our home and replace it with glass. These spice jars – complete with labels! – help us accomplish that goal to live with as little plastic as possible.
“Acrylic organizers! Lazy Susans and bins for bathroom and pantry storage!”
I personally love Lazy Susan’s because to me, they’re the opposite of lazy. They’re efficient! They save space and make finding things easy – whether that’s spices in the pantry or self-care items in the bathroom.
Phew. That was a lot- am I right?!
I can’t wait to hear from you and which products you love the most! Feel free to reach out any time.